Ruminations and Consequences
by supercode
Summary: Chlark. A post Rush fic. A story in which Lana can't keep her mouth shut, Chloe confronts Clark about his actions, and a lot of contemplation on the part of a certain alien causes him to make some decision differently .
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville, Superman, or any of the characters affiliated with them, all of which belong to their respective companies and owners. Only this story is my original work.**

**Author's note: This is the first fanfic I have submitted to this site, so I hope all of you enjoy it! However, I welcome any feedback any readers may have on this story, whether it be positive or negative, so please leave comments so that I can improve my craft. No flames though, please. Enough of that, though, you are probably anxious to read the actual story, right? This tale begins right after the season 2 episode Rush, with a slight change on my part to the ending of that episode: Clark did apologize to Lana about his actions while on Red K, but he did not try to get her to date him again.**

Clark was standing on the top floor of the loft, looking out the window at the stars, as he had done many times before in his "Fortress of Solitude." Coming up here helped him think whenever he had to figure out the answer to a problem. Tonight, however, the fortress wasn't helping him much. Clark had been up here almost two hours now, and he was no closer to figuring out what he should could almost hear his adoptive father's words, which he had spoken to Clark concerning his son's feeling for Lana Lang several years before. "Clark, women are complicated. Even if you were the smartest male on earth, you would never understand them completely. So before you even start trying to do that, you need to sort your own thoughts out, son." 'Oh, boy, was that the truth.' Clark thought to himself. Clark had never had a great track record with women. There was his own on-again-off again relationship with Lana, the brief amount of time he had spent with Jessie, the girl in witness protection, his slightly longer courtship of Kyla, the skin walker who had died because he couldn't save her…and whatever there was between him and Chloe, one of his best friends. Clark wasn't sure he was ready to even think about that last one yet, but recent events may have made addressing that awkward subject almost inevitable. Yes, women were complicated enough for the otherwise intelligent Clark, a young man who had used his photographic memory to memorize the contents of his family's old encyclopedia set and could have excelled in every subject in school if he wasn't afraid making all A's would draw unwanted attention to his person, under ordinary circumstances. Adding red meteor rock into the mix, however, only seemed to make things more complicated for Clark. The trouble was, even though red meteor rock made Clark "high" it really only made him do what he really wanted to do at the time anyway, and he always remembered everything he had done afterward and his reasons for doing so. Like his father had said, those feelings had to come from somewhere. That was why his own recent actions while under the influence of red meteor rock were weighing so heavily on Clark Kent now. He hadn't been in his "right mind" at the time, and his actions hadn't really been his fault, but that didn't mean his behavior hadn't meant something. Especially how he had acted towards Chloe…

As if the fates were mocking him, Clark heard someone clear her throat at the top of the loft stairs behind him. Although Clark had been too preoccupied with his thoughts to hear this person enter the barn or come up the stairs, he would know that voice anywhere, even if that voice's owner hadn't said a word to him in days. "Chloe?!" Clark started in shock at having his thoughts interrupted by the subject of his own private musings. Chloe's rigid posture, crossed arms, and the perturbed look on her face did little to relieve the young alien's anxiety. It was clear his friend was upset with him, but Clark couldn't fathom why that was. She had plenty to be mad at him for, of course, but he didn't think she remembered anything that had happened when she had been infected by the parasite. Pete certainly hadn't. So Clark really couldn't imagine what was causing Chloe to act so upset with him. Nor could he explain the hurt, betrayed look in her eyes. "Chloe, what's wrong?"

Chloe sighed deeply. "What's wrong, Clark is that, until recently, I thought I could trust you. Oh, I knew you had your secrets, and still do, but I always thought I could trust you to do the right thing, the **decent** thing. Even during that whole bad boy biker act you pulled earlier this year, I thought you were just going through a rebellious phase..."

Clark gulped. It was clear that Chloe was gearing up to deliver a verbal tirade against him, and, since he figured he deserved at least some of the tongue lashing his friend was going to give him, he remained silent as she continued speaking. "Heck, even when Lana told me that she caught you making out with another girl a few days ago, when you were supposed to go on a date with her, I wouldn't believe it. I told her that Clark Kent would never do that to anyone, especially someone you supposedly care about as much as Lana Lang. I told her she must have mistaken you for someone else, or not understood what she had really seen. Against all evidence to the contrary, I stood up for you against my own friend and roommate, Clark Kent!"

Chloe sighed. "After that, she avoided me for days, which wasn't easy in my small house. And Lana didn't just seem mad at me Clark; she actually acted like it was painful just to be around me." Clark nodded his head solemnly. He could see where Chloe was heading with her words, and it was not to a pleasant topic of conversation. "And ever since I recovered from the parasite, I've also felt profoundly guilty around her for no discernible reason. Well, finally, earlier today, I put two and two together, and I just came out and asked Lana if I had been the girl she caught you kissing."Chloe looked accusingly at Clark. "And she said yes. Oh, she said it wasn't really my fault, you understand. She knew I wasn't in my right mind at the time, that I couldn't help what I did. Even so, I can't help but feel that event has put a real strain on my relationship with my friend…with two of my friends, actually." Clark knew the last part of that remark had been referring to himself, as well as Lana. Chloe continued. "But Lana is right. I was infected with a mind-altering parasite when I kissed you, Clark. I wasn't myself. What's your excuse!? What reason could you possibly have to not only cheat on Lana, but also take advantage of your best friend when she was not in control of her own faculties!?"

Clark felt about 3 inches tall when tears began flowing of Chloe's eyes. But his friend didn't give him a chance to apologize or explain himself before her face hardened and she jabbed her right index finger at Clark accusingly."You know how much I care about you Clark Kent! I don't know why I still do, after all the times you have let me down…" Those words felt like a hammer blow to Clark Kent's stomach, and this time, his invulnerability could not cushion the blow. "But I do! And you knew that, and you still took advantage of me!" Chloe's anger suddenly seemed to fizzle out as her tears began to fall again. It was as if the blond teen simply didn't have the energy to be angry any more after the last few emotionally draining days she had experienced. Clark desperately wanted to hold his friend until her tears went away, as he had done a few times before, but he knew Chloe would not allow that this time.

Looking almost despondent, Chloe finally pulled herself together to stop her own tears, at least for now. With a pleading look in her eyes, the young woman managed to look right at her friend from another planet. "Why would you do that Clark?! Please tell me, because I really want to know. I would really like some kind of rational explanation for what you did, because I can't reconcile any of it with the good guy I thought you were and….I don't know if we can keep being friends if you don't give me something to go on. Something to tell me, that despite all evidence to the contrary, you aren't a total jerk who just stabs people in the back or uses them whenever it suits him. Because I really don't want to lose you, Clark, but I don't see how we could possibly remain friends if that's the kind of person you really are." Chloe's shoulders sagged, and for the first time since Clark had met her, the young woman looked completely defeated and emotionally spent. Clark hated himself for having put one of his best friends through that kind of emotional turmoil through his own actions, even if he hadn't been in complete control of himself at the time.

Obviously not expecting an actual answer from Clark that would satisfy her, Chloe turned around and started down the barn stairs, but was stopped by the sound of Clark's voice, which caused the yellow haired teen to turn around in surprise. "Pete drugged me, Chloe."

Chloe looked at the dark-haired young man behind her with a look that only half way resembled disbelief. Her next words were said in a stutter. "Don't…don't try to pin this on Pete, Clark…" "I'm not trying to pin anything on anyone." Clark interrupted her. "Pete wasn't himself either. I don't blame him for what he did when he was influenced by the parasite. But he did slip me a drug after I wouldn't stop trying to get him to the hospital. He thought it would make me 'loosen up' like you and him. And before it wore off, it actually did make me lose my inhibitions quite a bit. The effect hadn't quite worn off yet when you kissed me, I kissed you back, and Lana saw the whole thing."

Chloe slowly edged closer to Clark, using her keen investigative mind to look for any signs of deception on her friend's face. She found none. Clark gulped. He just hoped Chloe believed his excuse for his recent outlandish behavior, since it was technically the truth, just not all of it. Clark's unique physiology did react to red meteor rock like the substance was a drug. In fact, as far as Clark knew, it was the only substance on earth that could disrupt his Kryptonian brain chemistry, although he did not know this for sure since he was the not the kind of person to willingly experiment with drugs. It was simply too great a risk for someone as powerful, and potentially destructive, as himself to take. Finally deciding that Clark was telling the truth, Chloe let out a sigh of relief as she dried her tears with her right hand and leaned against the guard rail that overlooked the first floor of the barn, reminding Clark how Chloe had demonstrated her trust In him a few day ago by willing falling off said guardrail, knowing Clark would catch her. Of course, she hadn't been in her right mind then, but Clark still thought that action might have revealed an aspect of Chloe Sullivan's personality he had not suspected before: the extent of her trust in him.

Chloe's surprised voice and shocked expression interrupted Clark's though process. "Oh. Wow. I did not know that. I'm sorry Clark. If what you're saying is true, I've really misjudged you. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusion so quickly without hearing your side of the story first." Chloe gave a nervous chuckle. " Jeez, some reporter I am, huh? Jumping to conclusions without having all the facts first…" The young woman looked down in shame. "If I keep going like this, I'll be working at the Inquisitor before long." "Chloe." Clark interrupted his friend in a firm, but gentle tone. "It's okay. I accept your apology. And I'm sorry too. For what I did, and because I should have told you what happened myself when you where at the hospital, and explained it to you then. I just didn't want to make things more awkward than they already were. Recent events have been really weird for me as well."

Chloe slowly sidestepped Clark's attempt to give her a friendly hug, then laughed weakly. Given the events of the past few days, Chloe thought even friendly physical contact between herself and Clark could be awkward."Yeah. I bet they have. But at least you were able to save the day again. Like you always seem to do."

Clark looked sheepish. "It was really not a big deal. And I don't save people that often…"

Chloe raise an eyebrow "Yes, you do Clark. You rescue people from the jaws of death on a pretty regular basis." Before Clark could come up with some lame alternate explanation for his heroics, Chloe raised her hand to defer his comment. "But I'm not going to try to overanalyze that, or figure out how you do that, at least not today. I just wanted to thank for saving me. Not just today. The truth is Clark…you save me all the time, even more often than you know. You save me every day." This last sentence was said in a whisper Clark could barely hear from his position only a few feet in front of his friend, and Chloe quickly looked away in embarrassment. "Wow. That sounded corny. Sorry about that. Is there any chance we can just write off that last sentence as me spouting gibberish after being caught up in the emotional rollercoaster recent events have caused us all?"

Clark still looked a little shocked at Chloe's words. 'You save me every day? What did she mean by that?'Quickly recovering, Clark lied. "Yeah. Sure. What are friends for?" In reality, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to forget that sentence coming from one of his best friends.

Chloe nodded resolutely, determined to keep her emotional barriers up for the rest of this conversation. "Good. Well, I'm glad we can finally get all that straightened out and can go back to being friends again….Hey, wait a second." Chloe remembered something very important. She honestly couldn't believe she hadn't caught it before. "You didn't tell Lana any of this. She said you did try to apologize the day after everything happened, but that you tried to pass of your behavior as acts of 'temporary insanity.' If you are telling me the truth, why didn't you just tell Lana that Pete had drugged you before we…did what we did? If that's what really happened, you need to tell Lana! She's still heartbroken because she thinks you intentionally cheated on her!"

'And there it is.' Clark thought to himself. 'The crux of my current dilemma. Why didn't I just tell Lana that Pete had drugged me? I thought of that explanation almost immediately after I knew Chloe and Pete were out of danger. I could have just told Lana that bit of the truth, and my relationship with her would be back on track. The trouble is I'm not sure that's what I want anymore.' Clark stared down at his shoelaces like they had suddenly become the most interesting objects in the world. "I can't tell Lana what really happened, Chloe, and I would appreciate if you wouldn't either."

Chloe crossed her arms defiantly across her chest. "I'm not keeping a secret that hurts my friend this much. At least not without a damn good reason, Clark!"

The alien nodded. "I understand. But the problem is that if I tell Lana the truth and she believes it, she will want to pick things up with me right where the two of us left off. She'll want us to try and start dating again. I'm just not sure if I'm ready for that yet, or if that's what I want anymore."

Chloe looked guilty now. "Clark, If this because you are trying to spare my feelings and save our friendship by not dating Lana…"

Clark shook his head emphatically. "No. Chloe, it's a lot more complicated than that. I don't know if I'm still feeling the aftereffects of whatever Pete slipped me, or if I'm just having trouble making sense of all the things that happened when I was under the influence, but my thoughts are all jumbled up in my head, and it's confusing the hell out of me. I really don't think it would be right to try to patch things up with Lana until I can sort it out. And I certainly wouldn't want to start dating her when I barely know which way is up in. It wouldn't be fair to her for us to begin a relationship while I am like this. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Chloe shook her head as she once again reminded herself that there was much more to her friend than the simple farm boy he pretended to be. Clark could be very mysterious at times, and his thoughts sometimes went in directions even she, a hacker, reporter and former city girl, had trouble following. "Not really Clark. But it seems you are having a minor intellectual crisis here. Do you want to talk about what's really bothering you, or do you need some more time to think about all of this by yourself?"

Clark had to resist the urge to laugh. 'Chloe, you are a great friend, but you are absolutely the last person I can talk to about what's really bothering me. Except for Lana, maybe.' But what the farm boy said was. "I think I need another day to figure this out on my own. Thanks for offering to help though."

Chloe smiled. "Anytime. You have yourself a deal, Clark. I will give you one more day to figure out what you need to say to Lana. But if you haven't told her the truth within the next 24 hours, I'm doing it for you, understood?" Chloe's tone did not leave any room for disagreement, and made it clear she did not want to discuss this issue any further, so Clark just nodded his head in assent. "Good. Now, if you have nothing else you want to say to me, I need to get home before my father notices I'm out of the house this late at night. Good luck on figuring things out Clark. Try not to let your thoughts keep you up too late though, we still have school tomorrow, and I'll expect you to be there early, as usual, to help me finish up the layout for tomorrow's issue of The Torch."

"Sounds good. Drive safe." Clark replied as his friend walked down the stairs, out of the barn, and toward her car. As he watched her car fade into the distance with his telescopic (not x-ray) vision, the youngest Kent once again wondered whether or not his relationship with his blond haired friend might be in this process of changing as a result of his recent exposure to red meteor rocks, and Chloe's infection by the cave parasite. And if so, in what way? Clark knew he would keep up his end of the bargain and tell Lana the truth about Pete drugging him and causing him to act the way he had during the recent incident at the Talon. He was merely trying to figure out if that was the only thing he needed to tell his raven haired friend, or if there was another pressing matter that would need to be addressed: the possibility that he may actually be developing some not so friendly feelings for a certain Chloe Sullivan.

**Hope you enjoyed chapter one! I should have chapter 2 up very soon. But please leave comments so I know how I did on this chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I finished editing this chapter sooner than I expected to, so I decided to go ahead and post it! I would like to thank ****Dylboyslim, ****CaptainStoner****, ****Darkfirelight****, and the person who posted anonymously for their reviews of my story, as well as everyone who has already decided to follow and/or favorite this story! I saw that a lot of people were upset about the paragraph spacing in the first chapter, so I tried to make shorter paragraphs in this chapter to help readers follow what is happening and who is saying what more accurately. As I said, I'm kind of new at this, but I will try to use your feedback to improve my writing in the future. ****Darkfirelight****, thank you, but I already have someone to proofread my stories for me. Also, as far the characters) acting a little OOC, that was sort of intentional on my part, since it bugged me that the characters on the show consistently and (in my personal opinion) illogically act in ways that brought the plot back to status quo. In other words, I couldn't see how anything in the plot could be altered without some slight character modifications. But I don't think that is enough of a difference to consider the story AU. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter, and please give me more feedback!**

The next day at school was not quite as awkward as Clark feared it would be, as the young man tried to avoid both Lana and Chloe at school. Fortunately, Chloe did not need much help with the next Torch issue before classes started, so he was able to excuse himself and rush off to homeroom early after proofreading a couple of Chloe and Pete's articles for the school publication. Since Pete was sick at home that day, he did not notice Clark's unusual level of haste to get away from the Torch office, but Chloe did. However, guessing that Clark was still deep in thought about the matter she had discussed with him yesterday, she decided to give Clark a pass on his unusual behavior. Thankfully, avoiding Lana was even easier, since she did not attempt to interact with the farm boy. Clark knew Lana's standoffish attitude toward him would make it difficult for him to talk to her alone when he finally decided to come clean about the cause of his recent actions. But for now, this state of affairs served Clark's purposes, as the alien attempted to reorganize his thoughts and figure out what to say to the girl he had pinned over for years.

Things were not going as well on that front as Clark would have hoped. Although he had literally spent all night thinking about the reasons for his recent actions while under the influence of the red meteor rock, he still did not understand the reasons for everything he had done that day. However, Clark had figured out some important things. One, Clark's most recent encounter had brought about more intense emotional reactions in his person than his first fateful encounter with the crimson rock had. Two, a lot of those emotion fueled thoughts and actions had been related to one Chloe Sullivan. For example, not only had Clark made out with Chloe several times, he had also trusted her enough to tell her the secret of his origins, a secret he had never tried to tell Lana, even while under the influence of red meteor rock. In his altered state of consciousness, Clark had even agreed to make out with Chloe in public. Furthermore, he hadn't even thought of Lana once while under the influence of the red mineral until Chloe had mentioned the Talon.

Not knowing what to make of that fact, Clark filed it away for future analysis, although Clark continued to wonder if the feelings for Chloe that the red rocks had brought out in him could be written off as a product of lust, or if they were evidence of something more. Three, Chloe's actions toward Clark while under the influence of the parasite revealed that she definitely still had a strong romantic interest in him. Clark had tried to convince himself that Chloe had gotten over any romantic feelings she had toward him after they mutually broke up after their disastrous date at the Spring formal, but he knew now that he had been fooling himself on that score. Looking back, Clark admitted that Chloe had given him plenty of signs she still liked him as more than a friend, but he had done his best to ignore them. After Chloe, under the influence of the parasite, had directly admitted she still wanted him, and then proceeded to prove it, denying the truth that Chloe Sullivan was attracted to him had become impossible. Four, Chloe's easy acceptance of his alien origins and her trust that he would catch her when she "accidentally" fell off the top floor of his loft also revealed that she also had a nearly unshakeable faith in Clark. Furthermore, The fact that Chloe had accepted Clark's story that he had been drugged by Pete, without any corroborating evidence, indicated that the blond's faith in him was not a mere side effect of the parasite. None of these issues, however, were the problem. The trouble was that Clark's relationships with both Chloe and Lana were now in jeopardy, and Clark was starting to think he could only salvage things with one of them.

The situation might have been easier to fix if Lana had not told Chloe about her actions with Clark when they had both been under the influence, but now that Chloe knew she had come on to Clark, and once again revealed her romantic feelings toward him, Clark could tell his blond friend was slowly trying to pull away from him again, as she had after Spring Formal. This fact made the farm boy a little angry at Lana. After the breakup following that event, it had taken months for Clark and Chloe's friendship to stabilize, and Clark had a feeling that it would now take longer for things between Clark and Chloe to go back to normal, even if Clark did nothing that strained his relationship with Chloe further. Dating Lana now that he knew how Chloe felt about him would definitely make things worse, and Clark feared it may even destroy his friendship with the reporter. This of course, brought things back to Lana. Clark had been wondering if his friendship with Lana would survive if he chose to back out of his decision to date her. After a sleepless night, Clark had concluded that his friendship with Lana would not survive if he made that decision. The truth, Clark had been forced to admit, was that he and Lana where not properly "friends". They never had been. Before last year, the raven haired girl he had been/was? Infatuated with had barely known he existed. After they had started to get to know each other better, the situation had changed, as Lana had slowly developed a romantic interest in the farm boy, but she and Clark had not developed any kind of friendship. Yes, Clark and Lana usually got along pretty well, but Clark now realized that he and Lana did not actually spend all that much time together, or share many common interests. Clark was starting to suspect that if he and Lana had not been infatuated with each other all this time, they probably wouldn't have found any reason to interact on a regular basis. Taking all of this into account, Clark had been come to an unmistakable conclusion: If he chose to continue dating Lana, his relationship with Chloe would be put into jeopardy, but if he did not, his relationship with Lana would be in jeopardy.

Clark continued this train of thought throughout the rest of the school day, barely paying enough attention to take notes. Clark was glad that, despite the fact that it was a Friday, he did not have any tests today, as he feared he probably would have bombed them in his distracted state. Having already come to the conclusion that he may have to chose between his relationships with Chloe and Lana, Clark reluctantly tried to determine which of his female companions meant more to him, and which one he could live without. Clark weighed the merits of both girls carefully in his mind, but it quickly became apparent he was biased toward one of them. On the one hand, Clark had had been infatuated with Lana since he had been five, while Chloe had only been his friend for 3 years. Furthermore, Clark also had to consider that he had wanted to date Lana for years, and now had the opportunity. Given his hidden feelings about Chloe that had recently come to light, however, Clark was not sure that he even wanted to date Lana anymore. Clark still wondered if he could just write off his feelings for his friend as common lust amplified by the red meteor rock, but the more he thought about it, the less likely that explanation for his behavior became. The first time Clark had become infected with red meteor rock: almost everything he had done had centered on his desire for one of two things: material possessions or Lana. Even his brief "relationship" with Jessie had been motivated by a twisted desire to make Lana jealous or to get back at her for spurning him. However, even then, Clark distinctly remembered x-raying through Chloe Sullivan's clothes, as well as Lana's. Although it made him feel guilty now, it was Chloe's "naked" form that he hadn't been able to get out of his head lately.

Getting his thoughts back on track, Clark realized that, during his most recent exposure to the red meteor rocks, almost all of his focus had been on Chloe. More specifically, he had wanted to tell Chloe his secret, profess his love for her, and then take her to bed as quickly as possible. However, since Pete had been around, and both of his friends had wanted to jump the gorge with a car that day, Clark had settled for telling Chloe he was an alien with superpowers, then proceeding to make out with her repeatedly in several locations that day, including the Talon. He had barely thought about Lana the whole time. In contrast, days later, Clark still found himself having fantasies about Chloe, and these mental scenes often extended far beyond kissing his blond friend, and they usually did not involve either of them wearing much clothing. If Jonathon Kent was right, and Clark's adoptive father usually was, the red meteor rocks did not create emotions in his person, they only made him act on the ones that were already there. If that was the case, Clark had to admit that there was a strong possibility he might have fallen for his best friend. 'Okay, Clark.' The flannel wearing teen thought to himself during lunch as he sat at a table alone, barely touching his food, 'But let's just say, for the sake of argument, that your dad is wrong, and all of these feelings for Chloe are just side effects of the red meteor rocks that have no bearing on your normal emotional or mental state, and that those feelings will wear off in a few days. That's unlikely, but possible. If that is the case though, or if a romantic relationship with Chloe were not on the table (and given the rocky state of your friendship with Chloe, it may not be), would you chose a romantic relationship with Lana over just friendship with Chloe?'

When Clark's dilemma was put in those terms, the answer popped into his mind immediately: No, he would not sacrifice his friendship with Chloe for a relationship with Lana. Clark still found Lana attractive, and he liked the girl as a person, but Chloe had been his loyal friend for years. She always had his back, and, despite the fact that Clark frequently had to lie to her to protect his secret, she trusted him implicitly. Chloe was a true friend, and Clark now realized that, even if Chloe never became more than that to him, he would not trade his friendship with her for anything. By the time classes let out for the day, even though he did not have all the answers he wanted, Clark knew what he had to do. Immediately after the last bell rang, Clark ran (at human speed) to his truck in the parking lot, then headed for the Talon to meet Lana before she started her shift. He sincerely hoped that this conversation with the raven haired girl would end better than the last one.

…

Minutes later, sitting in his truck, Clark was relieved to see Lana pulling into the Talon parking lot and that there was no one else at the coffee shop yet. He knew he would only have a short amount of time to talk to her, but he was glad he would be able to converse with his old crush alone…if she would even talk to him, that is. Thankfully, although Lana was visibly perturbed by the Kent boy's presence, she did not ignore him. Instead the dark haired girl walked over to Clark's truck, crossed her arms, and talked directly to her on again, off again crush. "Okay, Chloe said you were going to tell me something important today. She wouldn't tell me what that was, but she said I needed to listen to you anyway. So, I'm going to give you five minutes to say whatever you need to say, but I'm doing that for her, not for you. Understood?"

Clark nodded. He was thankful that Chloe had been a good enough friend to give him an opening for this conversation with Lana. Given his friend's feelings for him, Clark knew that had probably been difficult for the girl. Not even daring to get out of the truck, Clark told Lana about how Pete had drugged him while under the parasite's influence, causing his erratic behavior. He also apologized for having hurt her though his actions with Chloe during that period even though he wasn't in his right mind at the time.

Lana looked at Clark suspiciously. "You already told Chloe all of this, didn't you? That's why she was so mad at you when she stormed out of the house last night after I told her what you did, and was noticeably calmer when she got back. You told her what Pete had done to you, and she believed you. She even put in a good word for you afterward. Why didn't you tell me this first instead of that temporary insanity nonsense?!"

Clark shrugged. "Well actually, Chloe sort of made me tell her first by confronting me last night. Besides, I thought she deserved to know, since she was the one who thought I had physically violated her person. Also, I wasn't sure you would believe the truth If I told it to you, since I can't prove it."

Lana nodded her head. "Well, I could understand why you would think that, since I do sometimes find it hard to trust you, and for good reasons I might add." Clark silently acknowledged that trust had always been a problem in his relationship with Lana, and would probably continue to be so unless he told her his secret one day. The trouble was that Clark was starting to think the Lang girl would never be able to handle that much truth about him, given her past, and her fear of anything related to the meteor rocks. "But…" Lana continued. "Your story is plausible, and Chloe believes you, so I guess I do too. I'm sorry I doubted you, Clark, and I accept your apology." Clark sighed with relief, but he knew that this had been the comparatively easy part of this conversation. He suspected the hard part would come…"So, I guess what I'm saying, Clark, is maybe we could give this whole date thing another try once your parents start letting you go out again?"..right about now. Clark shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea." Clark tried to keep his tone even and his face stoic. He almost couldn't believe he was turning down a date with his "dream girl", but a lot of things had changed lately.

Lana looked absolutely flabbergasted, as if she couldn't even comprehend the concept of Clark Kent turning her down. Then a look of recognition passed over her face. "Oh. This is because of Chloe, isn't it? You realized she still has feelings for you and now you think that dating me will hurt her and ruin our friendships with her?"

Clark was ashamed to say he hadn't even considered how dating Lana would affect her friendship with Chloe, but that was a valid point of consideration as well. Lana had inadvertently strengthened his resolve not to date her. However, that was not Clark's main reason for choosing not to court Lana, so the Kryptonian shook his head. "No, that's a good point, but that's not the reason I'm turning you down now. I just have a lot on my mind, Lana. This whole incident with the drug and the parasites has just been getting to me in ways I don't even know how to describe. I need to get my head together, and figure out what I should do. I'm pretty sure that trying to start our relationship up again while I'm confused is not the best idea."

Lana had an incredulous look on her face. Clark knew Lana didn't believe him about his reasons for not agreeing to go out with her, but he also knew she understood he wouldn't budge on this. "Okay, Clark. If that's what you want. But Chloe is my friend too, and I want you to know I don't want to hurt her, either. However, she is a strong, sensible girl, and I think she would understand if we did try to start dating again. It might be awkward for a while, but she would eventually get over it, and we'd all be good friends again before long. Anyway, I need to open up the Talon for the after school rush, but I appreciate you being honest about what happened, Clark, even if it wasn't everything I wanted to hear." Clark nodded as Lana turned away from his truck and walked toward the Talon.

Clark was once again left alone with his thoughts. First of all, Clark now knew that, although she meant well, and cared about her roommate, Lana was wrong about Chloe being able to "get over it" if he and Lana started dating. He had seen Chloe in her uninhibited state longer than anyone except Pete, and the African American young man didn't remember anything that had occurred in that time frame. Clark remembered everything, and he had seen enough to know that Chloe cared more deeply for him than he had ever suspected. He also knew that seeing him pursue other girls must have hurt his friend a great deal every time it happened. Looking back, he could see the strain that doing so had put on his friendship with Chloe. Granted, that friendship had survived so far, but now that Chloe's feelings were out in the open, Clark wasn't sure his present relationship with Chloe would survive him knowingly hurting his best friend like that. Even so, that had not been the main reason he had refused to date Lana Lang. The truth was, Chloe Sullivan had eclipsed Lana Lang in Clark's heart and mind. As he drove home, however, Clark realized he had no idea what, if anything, he should do about it.

**And that is the end of the chapter! There will only be one more chapter to this particular story. I have already written the last chapter, and I am currently in the process of editing and having the finale proofread. If people like this particular fanfic enough, I may be persuaded to do a sequel, but that will depend on reader feedback. I don't want to waste anyone's time writing another story unless I know I will have an audience for that as well.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here it is the final chapter! I would like to **thank Darkfirelight, CaptainStoner, mpanze20, Chunk127, **Dylboyslim and everyone else who left me a review, as well as those who have added the story as a favorite and/or followed it! Your input and interest has helped me to both improve my writing and encouraged me to complete my first fanfic on this site. I hope my story has been as fun for all of you to read as it was for me to write it!**

'Almost done. I just need to print these last few copies, and then I can get out of here.' Clark was standing in front of the only printer that the school newspaper had at its disposal, anxiously waiting for the last few pages of Monday's edition of the Torch to print so he could get out of the office…and away from Chloe. It had been 3 weeks since he had turned Lana's offer down, and he still hadn't made a decision about what to tell his best female friend concerning how he felt about her. Clark definitely knew he wanted to be more than friends with Chloe Sullivan. He was simply afraid that his realization of this fact might have come too late. 'What If Chloe is already so fed up with me constantly rejecting or ignoring her feelings for me that she won't even give me a chance? What if we do start dating and it doesn't work out? What will happen to our friendship then? Will Chloe and I dating make things frosty between her and Lana?' Thoughts like these continued to plague the young Kryptonian, instilling Clark with fear and doubt and making him confused. So Clark did what he normally did when he couldn't decide what to do: nothing. He had tried his best to ignore his feelings for the blond teen who had had feelings for him since the first day they had met and to continue to be just a really good friend to the young reporter. But sometimes he would slip up, and he would find himself looking at Chloe for too long, or gazing at her in a way no friend should look at another. This was an alarming aberration that was occurring with greater and greater frequency as time went by and Clark found himself paying more and more attention to characteristics of his "friend" he had never bothered to notice before. Like the way she smiled when she was proud of Clark for doing something she thought was noble. Or the way her eyes lit up when she thought she had gotten wind of an important story. Little things Clark hadn't seen because he had been so focused on Lana.

Thankfully, although Chloe would occasionally call Clark on it when he was "acting weird", and seemed a little more annoyed every time she said as much, she hadn't figured out what was going on yet. If she had, she had been generous enough not to say anything to Clark about it. However, the fact remained that conversations between the two friends had become progressively more awkward ever since Chloe had confronted Clark about his actions while under the influence of the red meteor rock, and Chloe was becoming more and more irritated with the farm boy. This state of affairs did not make Clark desperate enough to avoid Chloe entirely, but the alien did try to minimize the amount of time he spent alone her. Unfortunately, Chloe had told Clark and Pete she needed their help finishing up Monday's edition of the Torch since the school would be under construction over the weekend, leaving the Torch staff only Friday afternoon to complete Monday's edition. Clark had reluctantly said yes, despite the anxiety being around Chloe caused him, because he did not like to let his best friend down when she was hard pressed to finish an assignment before a deadline and really needed his help. Unfortunately, Pete had needed to cut out early for a family event, leaving only Clark and Chloe to finish up the last hour or so of work. During that last hour, the editor and her coworker had barely said a word to each other that wasn't work or school related, and Clark had been attempting to avoid eye contact with Miss Sullivan at all cost. Now that the work was finally done, Clark was going to hand all of the paper copies to Chloe so that she could file them (she still insisted that anybody else would just file it wrong), and get out of the office as soon as possible.

Chloe, however, had other plans, and blew away Clark's evacuation strategy with only five words after he handed in the copies. "Clark, we need to talk." Before Clark could protest, or utter the standard excuse that his parents needed him home as soon as possible for chores, Chloe's intense gaze made it clear that this was not a friendly request, but a demand, and that there would be serious repercussions for her and Clark's friendship if Clark did not comply. "Now." Chloe added unnecessarily in an ominous tone, just in case Clark was too dense to understand her non-verbal indication that she was being serious. Thankfully, Clark's recently acquired (justified) paranoia that Chloe would eventually confront him about his altered behavior towards her person had made unusually receptive to Chloe's non-verbal communication that his best female friend was now doing just that.

The young man from the stars gulped, and then slowly nodded. "Sure Chloe. What do you want to talk about?"

The blond reporter sighed. "I want to talk about you, actually. You have been acting really strange lately. You keep making excuses when I ask you to help me study for school, or help me out with the paper when Pete can't. I mean, you're here today, and I'm grateful for that, but it still sort of feels like you've been avoiding me. And then there's the way you keep avoiding making eye contact with me. And on the rare occasions you do manage to look right at me, you get this strange expression on your face, like you are trying to work out some kind of puzzle. It's really weird. And to be honest, it's really freaking me out and I want it to stop." The angry look on Chloe's face immediately vanished after she noted the panicked expression that had just appeared on Clark's face, which made Chloe sorry for taking such a harsh tone against her best friend, despite the fact that she found his recent behavior both perplexing and unsettling. Deciding to take a different tactic in her discussion with the farm boy, Chloe paused awkwardly while biting her lip, further analyzing her friend's "deer in the headlights expression". 'Yep. Clark knows exactly what I'm talking about. Good. It's time we got this problem between me and him out in the open.' "And furthermore," Chloe added, "I think I know what's been bothering you, and by extension, me."

Chloe once again felt sorry for her friend now. His eyes were nearly bulging out their sockets and he looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack as he managed to choke out. "You do?"

Chloe was barely able to resist the urge to roll her eyes, but Clark's nervous state stopped her. "Yes. Lana told me all about your conversation three weeks ago. How you told her the truth about Pete drugging you, but turned her offer for a rain check date down because you needed…" Chloe made quotation marks with her hands, "'time to think.' That's what this is about isn't it? You turned Lana down because you realized…" Chloe gulped, suddenly finding herself in a much more somber mood than a few seconds ago. "that I still had feelings for you and you didn't want to screw up our friendship, right?!" Chloe gave Clark a challenging look, daring him to contradict her on this, as she continued her monologue. "And that's why you wouldn't date Lana, and that's why you have been avoiding me. Because you didn't want to hurt your poor friend Chloe by dating Lana, or risk leading me on. Well, I've got news for you Kent, I'm a big girl, and I don't need to be handled like a porcelain China doll that might break at any second. I could handle you dating Lana much easier than I can handle that! "

Only after Chloe was done with her tirade against Clark did she realize how angry she had sounded. The young woman hadn't intended to lace her words with such venom while talking to a friend that had only been trying to protect her feelings. But her years of unrequited longing for Clark Kent sometimes got the better of Chloe Sullivan, making her bitter and angry with her unrequited love interest for brief periods of time. This was one of those times. Thankfully, although she was mortified that she had actually displayed some of those feelings toward Clark, Chloe knew that she would bounce back from this all too familiar state of emotional turmoil, she always had before. Unfortunately, her love for her best friend had been more persistent, even when she was mad at Clark, or disappointed in him for letting her down…again. It seemed that, for her, there was no getting over Clark Kent. Snapping herself back to reality, Chloe noticed that Clark was not reacting to her accusations as she had suspected he would. He didn't seem angry, or defensive, or even the Kent trademark: guilty. Instead, the young man had that same puzzled look on his face that Chloe had noticed Clark wearing several times before when he hadn't known she was looking. That look, and the mystery behind it, was starting to drive Chloe a little crazy.

Finally, Clark spoke. "Chloe, I never thought I would say this to you, but you are dead wrong. That is not even close to the reason that I turned Lana down. Or why I've been acting different lately." Clark now understood that was the truth. He had privately admitted to himself that the real reason he had turned Lana down had nothing to do with his friendship with anyone. He had turned her down because he realized he had very strong feelings for Chloe that would have made dating Lana dishonest. In fact, he was pretty certain now that he was in love with his best friend. However, Clark just wasn't certain how his friend would handle that information after 3 years of cluelessness, denial, and even outright rejection of Chloe's feelings on his part.

Chloe's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe she had been wrong about Clark. She had been so certain that she knew her friend well enough to interpret his behavior, but the sincere look on his face indicated that there was no deception in his words. Composing herself as best she could, Chloe ventured a question with a raised eyebrow that clearly indicated the reporter's skepticism. "So, you didn't turn Lana down because you were trying to preserve our friendship?"

Clark shook his head. "No. I had completely different reasons for doing that."

The reporter slowly nodded, processing that information. "Okay, so are you really trying to tell me that I have had nothing to do with the reason you turned Lana down and have been acting strange lately?"

Clark's eyes quickly shifted away from his friend. Chloe had learned this was a sure sign Clark was about to lie, or give her an honest, but evasive, answer to her question. "I…I didn't say that." Clark stammered. From the incredulous look on Chloe's face, Clark could tell his friend didn't believe him, but before Chloe could question him further, he sighed again, and added. "Look, if we are really going to have this talk now. It can't be here." Chloe raised her eyebrow. In the space of five minutes, Chloe had become worried, then angry, then confused. Now she was torn between impatience at Clark's seeming inability to answer her questions directly, and intrigued by the mysterious thing that was bothering her friend. Deciding that expressing her impatience would probably just cause Clark to retreat further into his proverbial shell, as he had done so many times before when the junior reporter had tried to interrogate the farm boy, Chloe let her curiosity win out and decided on a more patient approach this time. However, the blond teen's tone clearly indicated that she still expected answers from her friend very soon, "And why is that?"

Clark sighed. "Because the Torch is more or less, your place. If we are going to have this conversation, it needs to be on neutral location. Someplace that doesn't belong to either one of us."

Now Chloe was right back to confused again. Although she was technically the head of the school paper, she thought the Torch belonged to Clark and Pete as much as it belonged to her. Or, almost as much anyway. Impatiently gnawing on her lip, Chloe asked in an exasperated tone that indicated her patience with the youngest Kent was wearing thin, "Clark, can you just tell me what's this is about? I'm getting real tired of you beating around the bush."

The farm boy shook his head emphatically. "I'm sorry, but we need to talk about this somewhere else, or things could get real awkward. Just trust me on this." The memory of Chloe basically propositioning him while sucking on a lollipop in a not so innocent way in this very office rushed to the surface of Clark mind, but he pushed it away to focus on the task at hand.

Chloe sighed. The look on her face indicating that Clark's evasiveness was really getting old. "Okay. How about the Talon?"

Clark vigorously shook his head again. "No. The Talon is no good. It's…too public." 'And Lana would probably be there', C lark thought to himself. Before Chloe could even make another suggestion, Clark shot it down. "And the loft won't work either, because it's on my family's property. We need a neutral location." 'Also, that's where I told you my secret.'

At this point, Chloe was equal parts intrigued, excited, and annoyed. The only thing that was keeping her annoyance at Clark from winning out was the fact that Clark seemed absolutely petrified at the prospect of telling her why he was so upset, which only made Chloe's reporter mind even more eager to find out what was bothering her friend. It had to be something big, maybe even the big secret that Clark seemed to keep from even his closest friends, although Chloe couldn't fathom what that would have to do with her. Therefore, Chloe reluctantly went along with Clark's plan to find another location for whatever conversation he planned to have with her. She knew Clark wanted to tell her something important, but finding a location for him to do that was becoming a problem. Evidently, Clark wanted a place that was not specifically connected to either one of them, but was also isolated. But Smallville was…small. There weren't that many publicly accessible remote locations nearby. Except….Chloe's eyes lit up again, causing Clark to smile involuntarily as his friend spoke. "How about Crater Lake, then?"

Clark nodded. "That's perfect, actually." The lakes isolated location would be a good place to have this conversation. The young alien picked up his backpack and turned to leave the school office. "I'll meet you there in 20 minutes then." After speaking these words, Clark left the office at a brisk pace before Chloe could exclaim that whatever Clark had to say better be very important to put her through so much trouble to hear it.

Back at the Kent farm…

"Ok, Clark. That sounds fine. Yes, we trust you to follow the rules. Just make sure you make it home on time for supper. Take care, son."

Jonathon Kent hung up the phone and looked at his wife Martha, who had been waiting expectantly for her husband to tell her what their adopted son was up to until he hung up the phone, allowing her to speak. "That was Clark, right? What was he calling about?"

Jonathon smiled. "I have a hunch that I've finally figured out what, or should I say, who, has been bothering Clark so much these past few weeks."

Martha raised her eyebrow. "Well, what is it? He has been on edge a lot lately, and he has been zoning out more than usual." Mrs. Kent sighed. "I hope this isn't about Lana again. She's a nice enough girl, but I just don't think she's right for Clark. I feel bad for our son, but I really think he needs to move on."

Mr. Kent chuckled. "I think he already has. Clark said he needed to talk to Chloe about something, and that the two of them would be by Crater Lake if we needed him for anything. He made it sound like it was important that he talk to her right away."

Martha raised her eyebrow. "And you think Clark likes Chloe now, as more than a friend?"

Jonathon nodded. "I think so. He did mention in passing that he was putting his pursuit of Lana on hold, and he hasn't brought her name up in conversation up for the past few weeks. Plus, he kept coming up with excuses not to see Chloe when she called our house phone to see if Clark could help her on one project or another. At first, I thought it was because things had become awkward between them after the whole parasite incident, but now I'm not so sure."

Clark had not told his parents much about what he had done with Chloe under the influence of the red meteor rocks, but when two teenagers made out in a public place like the Talon in a small town, people talked. Jonathon Kent hadn't pressed Clark for any further details as to what had happened. He felt like he knew entirely too much already. Even so, the farmer had a sneaking suspicion that his hunch about how the red meteor rocks worked was right, and that Clark's actions during that time might have indicated that his son had more than a platonic interest in the young girl he had been friends with almost 3 years. Now he was almost certain that was the case.

Martha frowned. "That would be a relief. Chloe's a nice girl, and heaven knows she has liked Clark since the day she met him, so I know she would treat him well if they started dating. But are you sure it's okay for the two of them to be alone like this? What if they…you know…do something impulsive?"

Jonathon shook his head. "Chloe's a smart girl, and Clark knows our family's rules. I don't think they will cross that line, as long as the two of them don't fall under the influence of outside forces, like last time. He and Chloe will be fine. Besides…"Jonathon added carefully, unable to keep his voice from betraying a hint of worry despite his jocular words. "We studied Clark's blood when he was little with that microscope that came with his chemistry set, before he developed invulnerability. The boy doesn't even have DNA as we know it. His genetic code is completely different from anything born on earth, so I doubt he could get a human girl pregnant, anyway."

"Jonathon Kent!" Martha smacked her husband's arm softly in mock consternation.

Mr. Kent raised his arms in a look of mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just trying to be realistic about the situation. You know I don't want Clark to be that stupid. And if you ever told him I said that about his biology, I'll deny it. I'm not looking to encourage him. But I do trust him. Besides, he needs to get this situation with Chloe straightened out so he can clear his head. He forgot to feed the cows for the third time this morning. I'll just be glad when this whole situation is resolved." Martha nodded her head in agreement. If Jonathon was right, and Clark and Chloe did end up dating, she would be happy for both of them. She just hoped her son knew what he was doing.

Crater Lake, 20 minutes later…

Chloe stood near the water's edge, stomping her left foot nervously and trying to restrain the urge to start pacing back and forth while waiting for Clark to arrive as questions raced through her mind. 'What does Clark want to talk to me about? Why was it so important for him to meet me in a "neutral location"? What did he mean when he said he was acting differently because of me, but not because of our friendship, and what does that have to do with Clark not pursuing Lana? And why isn't he here yet? We left at the same time, but I've been waiting for him for almost ten minutes! Did he decide to bail on me?!'

Chloe's last question was answered by the sound of the engine inside Clark's truck as said vehicle finally pulled into a nearby parking lot that was just within the junior reporter's field of vision after said occupant of the vehicle had driven around aimlessly for almost half an hour trying to figure out what to say to one of his best friends. With less than a minute, Chloe's friend was walking towards her, and the expression on his face made Chloe's irritation at him for being late fade away immediately. The boy looked more nervous than she felt, and that was saying something. After saying hello to Chloe, the teenage alien sat on a bench near the water's edge and motioned for Chloe to set next to him. After she did, Clark finally began to speak. "I've been trying to think about how to say what I'm about to say to you for several weeks, and I've come to the conclusion that It'll will probably come out wrong no matter what, so I'm just going to apologize for that in advance. However, I really need to get this of my chest, so please bear with me."

Chloe tried to force a smile, but it looked more like a grimace as she tried to stop herself from demanding a straight answer from her friend once again. 'Great. Now the farm boy is making me even more nervous. I wish he would just say what he wants to say so we could get past all this awkwardness between us.' "You're one of my best friends, Clark. Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me." The blond teen couldn't help but notice that Clark had visibly grimaced when she had used the word "friends", but she didn't know why. She would have to file that information away for later.

Clark sighed dramatically and decided that even he was getting tired of setting the stage for this conversation. It was time to just say what he had to say. "Ok. Here goes. When you were under the influence of the parasite, and Pete drugged me, I…knew what I was doing the whole time."

Chloe glared at her friend, and Clark could tell she was about to form an angry response to his statement, so he corrected himself. "I mean….I wasn't in control of my faculties or anything, and now that I'm sober, I'm amazed at how messed up my thought processes were, and at the remarkable displays of bad judgment I exhibited in my behavior at that time. What I really meant to say was that…I remember everything that happened during that time quite vividly."

"Oh."Chloe broke eye contact with Clark and looked toward the lake, then began to shuffle her shoes awkwardly on the ground beneath her feet as the full impact of Clark's words sank in. "Everything? Does that include the things…we did together while under the influence?"

Clark nodded. This was part of this conversation the alien teen had been dreading, and now Chloe could see why her friend had been reluctant to say what was on his mind as he continued. "Especially those moments. Yes."

"I see." Chloe scooted to the very end of the bench furthest from Clark as the reporter began to experience a mixture of embarrassment for her past actions, and an irrational surge of anger directed at the boy next to her. The young woman couldn't help but feel it was unfair that both of them had to live with the fallout of that day, but only Clark got to remember it. No matter how it had happened, making out with Clark was a memory she would like to have kept.

One thing that was confusing the young reporter was Clark's motive for telling her this info now. When Chloe said as much, Clark nodded, and then took a long deep breath. Chloe knew this meant the farm boy was preparing to vocalize a long spiel about what was on his mind. "The thing is, Chloe; I haven't been able to stop thinking about what happened since then. And not just the things we did together, but also the things we told each other."

"Like what?" Chloe interrupted in a soft, nervous voice that did not match her usual snarky demeanor.

Clark coughed awkwardly. "Well, for one thing, you told me that you still had feelings for me…"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I figured that. Look, Clark, if you brought me here just to tell me you only think of me as a friend you didn't have to…"

But Clark wouldn't even let her finish that thought before he plowed on. "I also told you what my secret was." Chloe's eyes seemed to bulge out of her socket in surprise as Clark continued speaking. "Yes, Chloe, I do have a secret. A big one. I know that has been pretty obvious. I'm afraid I can't tell you what it is right now, because it's not just my secret to give away, but I do trust you enough to tell you that I do have one, and that my parents have drilled into me that I can never tell anyone what it is for…a long time now."

Chloe nodded solemnly. "I understand. Thank you for admitting that much to me, though, Clark. "

Clark smiled. Surprisingly, just admitting to his friend that he did have a big secret made him feel better, even if he hadn't told her what it was yet."You're welcome."

Chloe frowned. "Does anyone besides you and your parents know about this secret of yours? I bet you told Lana"

Clark sighed. He was more than a little upset Chloe had brought the subject of Lana up again. "I didn't actually. There is only one other person who knows, and that is only because he pretty much stumbled over my secret by accident. He's sworn to secrecy, though, and I trust him not to tell anyone."

Chloe nodded as she became lost in her own thoughts. 'Him, not her. And Clark trusts this person. Probably Pete then. He's a good friend to Clark for keeping his secret for him, but I'll be damned If I'm not just a little mad at him for not letting **me** in on whatever that secret is!' Chloe mentally noted.

However, Clark quickly brought Chloe's attention back to the subject of the conversation. "The point, Chloe, is that I trusted you enough to tell you my secret when I was under the influence. You and no one else. But there was more to it than that. When you and I were…ahem, expressing our feelings to each other, it didn't just feel like lust, not on my end anyway."

Chloe laughed nervously. The girl was clearly uncomfortable with the turn this conversation was taking and tried to deflect her dialogue with Clark in a different direction. "Clark, you were under the influence of a mind altering substance. None of those feelings were real."

Clark shook his head roughly. Although Clark had been reluctant to have this talk with Chloe, once the farm boy had started to explain how he felt, he became more and more confident in his ability to do so, and increasingly determined to be understood by the object of his affections. "No. I think those feelings were very real. No. I **know** that I've cared for you as more than a friend since before formal last year. After we broke up in the aftermath of the twister, I convinced myself that I was over you and distracted myself with Lana. But that event a few weeks ago showed me how wrong I was. When I was under the influence, all those feelings for you just came rushing back. And here's the thing, Chloe. They haven't left since then. I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize that I liked you as more than a friend. In fact, I think I may have fallen in love with you but …I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you are willing put up with an idiot like me, I would like to give us another chance." Now finished with what he knew he needed to say, Clark found his courage starting to falter again as he quickly looked away from Chloe. The Kryptonian was almost certain that he had just made a complete fool of himself, and he braced himself for the rejection he was certain would come from his "friend."

Chloe sat in stunned silence for over a minute before responding. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't allow herself to believe the words that had just come out of her friend's mouth. After all, one can only have one's hopes dashed so many times before they stopped believing their circumstances would change for the better, and Chloe had been waiting for Clark to say something like that to her for years. However, judging by the way Clark was nervously staring down at his shoes in an attempt to avoid eye contact with her, Clark was telling the truth.

After hesitating for several seconds, Chloe gulped before giving Clark a nervous reply that did absolutely nothing to disguise her insecurity, a fact which made the girl mentally kick herself for allowing herself to be so vulnerable around the man who had unintentionally broken her heart more times than she could count. She would have been mortified to know that tears were now starting to come out of her eyes, but she was too caught up in the moment to notice them. "You love me? You really mean that? Because if you don't really mean what you are saying, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't say those words. I'm not sure I could take it if you took them back, or ran off on me again. I hope you realize just how much faith you are asking me to put…"

"I meant every word." Clark interrupted Chloe forcefully.

Chloe nodded and quickly wiped away the droplets she was just now noticing were running down her face. "And you want us to be a couple?" Clark just nodded. Chloe frowned and voiced her final objection toward Clark's words. "What about Lana?" 'Smooth, Sullivan. The boy of your dreams tells you he loves you and asks you to be his girlfriend, and you ask about his old crush, nice going.'

Clark shrugged. "Lana is a nice girl, but… I've come to realize she isn't who I thought she was, and that I would much rather have you than her. That's why I turned her down. I know you. You are smart, beautiful, funny, and loyal almost to a fault, and I'm sorry it's taken me this long to realize that. I know any guy would be lucky to have you, but…I was just hoping that I could still be that guy?" Clark's last sentence came out as awkward mumbling that his friend could barely hear, despite the fact that he had rehearsed this conversation in his head dozens of times, and Chloe finally made eye contact with the man she had loved since the first day she had met him as Clark's eyes implored, no, pleaded her to say yes.

Chloe discreetly pinched her left arm to make sure this wasn't a dream. She found it hard to believe that this moment, the one were Clark had not only noticed her in a romantic way, but had picked her over Lana Lang, was actually happening. Now Clark had even violated protocol by skipping the awkward first few dates, telling her he loved her, and asking her to be his girlfriend! Unbelievable as this whole situation was for Miss Sullivan, however, the slight pain in her arm confirmed that is was actually happening. Before Clark could bother to ask Chloe why she had pinched herself, however, Chloe surprised even herself when she practically launched herself at Clark as her lips made contact with his and the young woman finally allowed herself to express the feelings for Clark that she had hidden for so long. The osculation started out tame, but before long, both teens' mouths were open as their tongues began to explore each other's mouths with ever increasing intensity. Finally, after almost a minute, Chloe managed to pull herself away and catch her breath. "Is that enough of an answer for you, Clark?! And in case you couldn't figure it out, I love you too!"

Clark smiled the big dorky grin that Chloe loved so much and pulled his new girlfriend gently to his side so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. As Clark and Chloe watched the sunset descend past the lake and toward the horizon, they both felt happier than they had in a long time. Tomorrow, there would be difficulties for their new relationship, such as how Lana would handle Clark and Chloe dating, or when (definitely not if) Clark would get around to telling Chloe the secret of his alien heritage. But tonight, Clark and Chloe were happy just to be enjoying each other's company and confident that, whatever the future may bring, they would be able to handle it as long as they could face it together.

**There it is. I hope you all enjoyed the conclusion! As for my thoughts on writing a sequel…I would really like to do so, but between school and work, as well as another fanfic I have been working on for Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles since before I even started the story you have just finished reading, It may be a long time before I am able to do a decent follow up to Ruminations and Consequences. However, if anyone wants to use this story as a jumping off point and create a "sequel" of their own before I have the chance to write one myself, they have my permission to do so. If not, I will get started on a follow up story of my own as soon as I can. Thanks for reading my story!-supercode**


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